<p>Companies hiring expatriate workers will be given five months after the implementation of the labour reforms programme to regularise their situation, the country's Labour Minister Adel Al Faqih said.<br /><br />The reforms will also help tackle the black market for employment visas to the rate of 99 per cent.<br /><br />The ministry would go ahead with the programme and that there would be no leniency in its application, Al Faqih said, according to Saudi daily Al Watan.<br /><br />The reforms, he said, will aim to boost employment opportunities for Saudis and increasing competitive edge among them.<br /><br />Gulf countries have raised this issue on several occasions but have had limited success in implementing them.<br /><br />The number of Indian workers in Saudi Arabia is likely to exceed two million by year's end.</p>
<p>Companies hiring expatriate workers will be given five months after the implementation of the labour reforms programme to regularise their situation, the country's Labour Minister Adel Al Faqih said.<br /><br />The reforms will also help tackle the black market for employment visas to the rate of 99 per cent.<br /><br />The ministry would go ahead with the programme and that there would be no leniency in its application, Al Faqih said, according to Saudi daily Al Watan.<br /><br />The reforms, he said, will aim to boost employment opportunities for Saudis and increasing competitive edge among them.<br /><br />Gulf countries have raised this issue on several occasions but have had limited success in implementing them.<br /><br />The number of Indian workers in Saudi Arabia is likely to exceed two million by year's end.</p>